It occurred to me on the weekend that the answer to a recurring despondency might be self-publishing. Eighteen months ago I finished my first novel. I sent it out with hopeful letters to a handful of literary agents and told myself I wasn’t surprised that only rejections came back. I made changes, I paid for a professional opinion, my wonderful family gave me feedback, I made more changes. I’m happier with it now but times have changed.
I now have what seems to be a grown-up job. Full-time, hectic, at times stressful, at times exciting, it takes up a lot of time (and the almost three-hour daily commute doesn’t help). I still prioritise writing each day but the thought of dedicating that precious time to writing more letters, researching more agents, begging people who are still so unlikely to show any interest makes me sad.
Self-publishing always seemed like giving up. Now, however, it seems like a wonderful way to share work that would otherwise just be staring at me, daring me to make something of it. I’m not sure this novel is actually worthy of publishing, but I think that’s okay too. It’s a practice, like a music student’s evening soiree for friends and family before the real concert. It also means the next novel, the first draft of which has been marinating for a month but is almost ready to be reread, has something to look forward to.
And the best thing? The after-work admin it requires will actually lead somewhere, because it will be in my control!
Alison Theresa 
8 replies on “A step towards self-publishing”
Sounds like you did your due diligence. You sought out agents/publishers. You had a professional look at it. Only other idea I can think of is maybe get some beta readers that aren’t friends or family but are objective who won’t be afraid to tell you if they see something wrong.
Go forth into the world of self publishing. Build your fanbase and have fun.
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Thank you! It’s looking fun already, and there are so many people swirling around in this world too!
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I would recommend you try it. You’ve really got nothing to lose.
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Very true! I thought I would lose out on the hope of a traditional publishing deal, but I think that hope has been lost already!
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I think the traditional publishers will only pick the books which are either on trend or follow their business model. Don’t be offended that they may not pick you up. They’re just running a business. In the meantime you can learn so much and be in total control of your product and that is very satisfying.
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Yes I’m looking forward to the control! I just noticed that your book on amazon.com has reviews but those reviews don’t translate over onto the amazon.co.uk site – that’s such a shame! Is there anyway they can be linked or is that just amazon being amazon?
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From my own experience I’m afraid that’s just Amazon. What you can do though is copy and paste a review for your blog. I’ve done that for my Book page.
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Ah yes, good plan!
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